Wallaceburg councillor and health-care advocate Jeff Wesley said Thursday a decision to close the emergency department at Sydenham District Hospital would cost lives.
Wesley told a crowd of 150 at a meeting last week he has been approached by medical professionals from the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance who can’t speak out about the speculated closure.
“EMS, doctors and hospital staff all tell me the same things….they feel extremely intimidated to speak out. I told them I’ll be your voice.”
A recent call from a doctor left him shaken.
“He (the doctor) said in several instances, they (Wallaceburg ER staff) are the difference between life and death.”
“I’m telling you right now,” Wesley said the doctor told him. “Based on my years and years of experience in the emergency department in Wallaceburg that if you close that emergency department and you start shipping everything to Chatham 100 per cent….there are people who are going to die.”
He said to him “that would be 15 to 20 additional deaths per year.”
CKHA officials said they would not comment directly to Wesley’s claim of intimidation, but released a statement noting it is a four-time recipient of a Gold quality Healthcare Workplace award from the Ontario Hospital Association and holds regular meetings to engage staff and physicians.
It goes on to state the CKHA has adopted a whistleblower policy “to encourage and enable the good faith reporting of serious alleged or potential improper conduct or wrongdoing and/or violations of hospital policies related to ethical behaviour or business conduct, without fear of reprisal.”
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Wesley and fellow councillor Carmen McGregor plan to introduce a notice of motion asking Chatham-Kent council to add its voice to those opposing any emergency department closure.
“It’s going to do two things,” he said. “ One, its going to show them all the values of keeping the Wallaceburg ER open in Wallaceburg not just for Wallaceburg but for all the surrounding areas in Chatham-Kent, but also we’re going to show them how this is just a tax shift away from the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance.”
“The cost of ambulances to cover the area is going to go through the roof and offset any savings,” he said. “And you know who’s going to pay for the ambulance costs? All of the residents of Chatham-Kent. The Alliance saves money, downloads cost onto the municipality and north Kent residents get poorer medical care. That’s the best solution the CKHA can come up with?”
During the meeting, residents formed a local chapter of the Ontario Health Coalition. That group is joining forces with the Save Our Sydenham committee and the Sydenham District Hospital Board to maintain health services in Wallaceburg.
Conrad Noel of the SDH board said memberships have doubled in the past month to 170 but he’s hoping to get to the 300 mark by the time CKHA officials unveil a plan to replace the hospital April 19.
